


Changing the Stream of Time

by Nith (Nitholites), Nitholites



Series: Aki's Misadventures in the Past [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Namikaze Minato, Because of Reasons, F/M, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Aki, Fuuinjutsu Master Uzumaki Kushina, I'll add more tags when I have more of the story written, Kid Hatake Kakashi, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Uzumaki Naruto from the future goes by Uzumaki Aki
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-11 03:40:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,686
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28228551
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nitholites/pseuds/Nith, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nitholites/pseuds/Nitholites
Summary: Naruto's done.He's given all he has and more to a war that left only him alive. He's got no more steam, and no reason to live.Kurama won't let that fly, though. So, together, they go back in time.... Except it's just a bit too far back.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato & Nohara Rin & Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi & Nohara Rin & Uchiha Obito, Hatake Kakashi/Uzumaki Naruto, Kyuubi | Nine-tails | Kurama & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato & Uzumaki Kushina & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato & Uzumaki Naruto, Namikaze Minato/Uzumaki Kushina, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added, Uchiha Mikoto/Uzumaki Kushina
Series: Aki's Misadventures in the Past [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2066310
Comments: 44
Kudos: 221





	1. The End...?

**Author's Note:**

> A note!!!  
> as this is quite low on my to-do list, updates will probably be sporadic at best!! im very sorry about that, but whenever a chapter's done, ill post it!

Naruto was tired.

Physically, emotionally, mentally.

He was running out of steam, he knew, but that didn't matter anymore. _Nothing_ mattered anymore- not when there wasn't anything or anyone to live for now. He was the last left, outliving even the two people he hoped would see the end with him, more than anyone else. Sure, he hoped everyone would, but as the deaths started piling up, his hopes focused on three-turned two people- Team 7. Or what was left of the greatest team in history- Kakashi and Sasuke. 

They were the only ones left at the end besides Naruto himself, who seemed to have pissed off a higher being and lacked the ability to die anymore.

He looked down at himself for the first time in... what, months? Years? (Time had no meaning now.) He was covered in dirt and dried blood and soot and ash, hiding his tanned skin behind a layer or three of grime. His hair, long and to his shoulder blades, was messy, tangled, and dirty. His scars were only in two places, right above his heart on his chest and his back, originally from Sasuke's Chidori way back when they were young. (The fact that there were more scars under the first was now only known to Naruto himself.) His torn clothes showed parts of his many tattoos, which were still covered by grime. 

For days, he simply wandered the wasteland. Where lush forests and rivers graced the area, now only barren land could be seen anywhere. He hadn't seen the sun in over three years- when the ash and dust grew so thick the only things that could cut through it were blood and the weapons that drew it. 

The blond man sighed, letting his eyes close and body rest for the first time in half-a-decade. He let his mind wander just as much as his chakra, letting whatever flow through his mind. 

_Naruto barely held back tears, sprinting as fast as he could towards his head strategist and the last of the Ino-_ _Shika_ _-Cho clans and teams. His terrible gut feeling didn't ease as the hordes of white_ _Zetsu_ _clones revealed themselves, surrounding the calm chakra he knew was_ _Shikamaru's_ _._

 _He got there in time to see the last Nara run through by a clone, the entire recon team dead on the ground surrounding him. Time seemed to slow as Naruto took in the scene, watching in horror as his friend went pale and started falling, already losing too much blood. Naruto, in an act of complete recklessness, used over half his chakra wiping out the clones, suffocating them from the density of his chakra alone. A skill he learned from necessity, both from Kurama's teachings and Uzushio scrolls. He rushed to_ _Shikamaru's_ _side, tears gathering at his eyes seeing his friend, his_ _ex-boyfriend_ _, and his trusted ally dying. The Nara huffed, muttering a_ _'troublesome'_ _and allowing a smile to grace his face for the first time in years._

 _"Win this, Naruto._ **_Let them know they'll never beat_ ** **_Konoha's_ ** **_number one knuckleheaded ninja, Naruto Uzumaki."_ **

Naruto blinked awake, body tense and alert as his eyes scanned the barren, scarred land where he thought Hokage Monument used to be. The large and important monument was the first Madara and Obito destroyed all those years ago, probably as a way to try and crush hope before the war even truly started. The village had _just_ been recovering from Pein's attack when Obito declared war, making good on his promise when no one took him seriously.

Naruto shook his head, staggering to a standing position as he double-checked the large and complicated seal dug into the ground beneath him. All he had to do was charge it with his blood and a mixture of his and Kurama's chakra, and they'd be good to go.

 _Hopefully_ landing in a time near his own. If not...

He'd worry about it if it happened. 

There were so many things that could go wrong with the seal. Reverting to a younger form, losing his memories, ending up in a _whole different timeline... or an alternate universe completely._ Those were just a _few_ of the things that could go wrong with the seal, not to mention a combination of those. 

That day he spent filling the drawn lines with his blood, constantly using chakra to replenish the blood he lost. By morning, he sat back, having no more excuses to put his next mission off any longer.

"It's ready," he said aloud to the only other being in the world, voice cracking with disuse. What good is using your voice when no one could hear it? When you could communicate with the only other living being in the world just with a thought or feeling?

 ** _Are you,_** the voice in his mind asked back, serious and deep, yet laced with worry.

"Does it matter? We have to go back. There's nothing left here, and... I don't want to be alone anymore."

_**... Then do it. Anything is better than our reality, and we should get this over with.** _

Naruto nodded, putting his hands together and spiking his and Kurama's chakra. In a bright flash, the world emptied, having no trace of the 20-year-old Kage ever existing.  
.

.

.

.

When Naruto woke up, he smiled for the first time in years. The sky was blue, he could see the sun and trees, he could hear birds and bugs and a river, and he felt chakra besides his own or Madara's! How long has it been? At _least_ a couple of years, maybe more.

He slowly sat up, relishing the feeling of not being alone and the sun on his skin and the sounds of nature all around. He took a deep breath and stood, looking around. He was in a forest, green and healthy and _alive_ , and he heard a stream or river nearby.

Feeling every spec of dirt on his body at that moment, he trudged towards the river, hoping to at least clean off his face. His senses spread around, keeping track of the few chakra signatures he could feel nearby.

Within five minutes, he was clean and his old clothes were drying on a rock, backup Uzushio-style clothes on his frame. Which helped his cover story, as he now had red Uzumaki hair reaching his hips. (Why was it so long now?) He noticed he looked younger now- 12? 13?- and had violet eyes where blue once stood out on his face. His skin was still tanned, but paler than he remembered. But that could've been from the lack of sun he experienced for a few years. His tattoos were gone, but his seals remained inked on his skin.

The Uzu clothes came from the island he visited during the war when he was looking for sealing information, way back around.... 4 years ago? Three? He found much more than clothes and _sealing,_ though. Apparently, the Uzumaki documented everything they'd usually tell verbally, keeping it stored in the same sealed vault their secrets laid. (He liked to think that the Uzumaki were just planners, not that they knew what would happen beforehand.)

Now Naruto knew everything he ever dreamed of Uzushio, and he didn't feel as isolated from his late clan. He felt like he was that much closer to the family he never knew. (And maybe he could give that knowledge down, find all the Uzumaki he couldn't when he had the chance. Maybe he could rebuild Uzushio, give that family to more people. _Maybe.)_

Anyway, he wore a dark blue yukata top with lighter decals over his black ANBU pants and shinobi sandals, an Uzu earring dangling from his left ear as red strands brushed against his shoulders. For whatever reason, his hair was devoid of tangles then, but he didn't question it. He never really questioned a seal's effects, if the overall end was what he was looking for. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth and all that. A quick tree climb told him he still had his chakra control, a kata told him he had his muscle memory.

He guessed he still had all of his abilities, despite the change in physical age.

He paused, feeling two... Iwa? Yeah, two Iwa shinobi hiding in the trees near him. (Thank goodness he could still tell which village people came from with just their chakra. It was a needed skill in the war, before the poison took out everyone except Team 7 and those rare immune shinobi, to effectively place camps and squads on the fly and when shit hit the fan.)

"It's hard sneaking up on a sensor that grew up in the forests, y'know. But good try."

He noticed another chakra signature with the bigger one, noticing how he couldn't see the shinobi. One came out, a young girl slung over his shoulder as the other snuck up behind Naruto, hiding much more thoroughly than before. Of course, Naruto still noticed the shinobi.

"You got me."

Naruto only stood relaxed, his face blank and kunai hidden in his sleeves as he brought his hands together, hidden by the bell sleeves. "Drop the girl," he said easily, almost lazily.

"Can't do that, I'm afraid."

At that moment, the shinobi tried jumping him, but Naruto's instincts caught the kunai from the man's hand, redirecting the attack and forcing the older shinobi to the ground. At the same time, he slapped a paralysis seal onto the man, _keeping_ him down. All without moving his gaze from the man with the girl.

 ** _"Now,"_** he growled, letting Kurama's chakra change his features and voice. **_"_** _ **Unless you crave death."**_

The shinobi looked shocked but didn't heed Naruto's warning, instead deciding to flicker away with the girl.

Naruto sighed, hating when they ran. It was so much harder to deal with things that way! And it's not like anyone could _hide_ from him! He could sense _emotions,_ for Kami's sake! He glanced at the still-conscious shinobi by his feet, squatting down beside the man. "Should we go after your little friend?" When he didn't get an answer, Naruto nodded decisively. "I think so, too. It was very rude how he left you all alone. We should go get him back."

He left the shinobi there, wanting to spare life as much as possible. It wasn't like he could get out of that seal any time soon, anyway.

Naruto could, of course, sense a couple of familiar signatures nearby. He didn't think much of it, knowing Kakashi could handle himself. (His mind wasn't quite transitioned yet, and Kurama was asleep and couldn't correct his thinking.) So, he casually continued on his way, activating his stealth seals in a heartbeat.

He wasn't a child anymore. He wouldn't give away the element of surprise so easily.

Naruto kept a careful eye on the chakra signatures but wasn't in too much of a rush. (He was still getting used to not being the only living thing in the world.) He took the time to watch the leaves above him, hear the wildlife scurrying away in a hurry. 

... He'd forever regret that choice soon.

When he sensed the panic in Kakashi's chakra, Naruto pulled for a tether he forgot wasn't there. When the familiar warping sensation didn't come over his senses, Naruto panicked. 

For the first time in years, he panicked.

It was then, that his mind snapped to his reality. 

_Naruto was in the past. When Obito wasn't smushed yet, wasn't manipulated, wasn't filled with the Curse of Hatred._

Naruto took a minute to restart his brain, and that minute was just a tad too long.

By the time Naruto made it to the cave, rubble blocked the entrance, and he could sense a squadron's worth of Kumo nin ready to attack anything with a pulse. He could just barely sense the three children in the rubble- all exhausted, low on chakra, and injured. 

Not for the first time, Naruto cursed the fact he wasn't a medic. He couldn't heal or repair, but he _could_ protect. So with barely a flicker of chakra, three shadow clones appeared. They only stuck around for a second, though- vanishing to accomplish their tasks. 

As much as Naruto wanted to join them in dispatching the Kumo nin, he had a duty to face his teacher ( _not his Kakashi anymore, no one is **his** anymore just wearing their faces and pain-). _For better or for worse, he had to make sure the man ( _the child, the teenager)_ was alive. That he'd live, as painful as it may be. 

He didn't have to wait long, as Kakashi leaped out from the cave alone, but remained near the opening. 

Even from this distance, Naruto could see how tense the Hatake was. Without Naruto's clones, that would have been proved needed.

As it was, Kakashi seemed to see Naruto himself as a threat, immediately attacking the new red-head.

Naruto didn't try to talk Kakashi down, only blocking and dodging every attack thrown at him. He didn't have his Konoha headband anyway- he lost it somewhere in the final battle against Zetsu and Madara. And it didn't hold much meaning outside of sentimentality, anyway. At that point, there were only survivors, not villages.

Then there was only one, and nothing truly mattered.

After a couple of minutes filled with clashing blades and strikes hitting empty air, Kakashi jumped away. Naruto could tell he was confused, but still cautious. "You haven't attacked me."

"No, I haven't," he agreed. A clone popped, and Naruto frowned. "We're running out of time." Because as overpowered as he was, he had a few limitations to keep in mind. First, his shortened reach. He was used to longer limbs, and often undershot his attacks. Second, the Iwa-nin just kept coming. Kind of like determined fire ants- annoying, but only really dangerous when there were thousands of them. Third, he didn't want to destroy nature. 

He didn't spend years in a barren wasteland just to contribute to recreating it.

With all that, his clones could only buy them time. "You have friends, don't you? You need to get out of here," Naruto stated. Unfortunately, that statement only put Kakashi even further on guard. Naruto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm a sensor. And there's only so much my clones can do before we _really_ need to go." He glanced back to the cave, true regret showing on his features.

Naruto always _had_ been horrible at hiding his emotions. He didn't think that would ever change- it was what helped him reach so many people. And it was that blatant display of emotion that finally got Kakashi to relax, as slight as it was. After a moment of heavy debate, Kakashi nodded. He leaped up and returned a moment later, the girl's hand in his own.

 _So this is Rin,_ Naruto thought, noting the tear tracks, the dust, how they left-

Naruto's face hardened. _I know when and where we are._

He nodded in greeting to the girl. "Where's your sensei?"

Rin answered for her team, as Kakashi was one to remain silent while sizing up a possible opponent. At least, this younger version of the Kakashi Naruto once knew (although he went back to that habit during the war). "It's just us." Naruto nodded, bringing a hand up to his chin in thought. _I can't tell if this is a blessing or a curse. On one hand, I don't think I'm ready to see him yet. On the other, we could use his help right about now._ "Um..."

Naruto's head snapped up to the girl. "Yes?"

"Who _are_ you? How do we know we can trust you?"

Naruto felt like kicking himself. _Of course they'd want to know that._

Thinking on the fly, he shrugged. "Just a traveling Uzumaki looking for more of his family." He could sense the _second_ they made the connection to Kushina, and also the second they both decided to keep her existence from him.

A smart move, and one he was actually pretty grateful for. He wasn't ready to see the mother he craved for. (... If he wasn't ready for _her,_ he definitely wouldn't be ready for his father, who he grew to know and love in the war with the limited time they had. They had caught up on so much lost time, and now... now it was all reversed.)

"But what's your name?"

Naruto picked the first name he could come up with. "Akira." He nodded. "Akira Uzumaki."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, first of all, welcome!! chances are, if youre here, you started from 'Changing the River of Time'
> 
> thanks for giving this a read, too
> 
> so, you may be in shock over the apparent change in tone. dont worry, the true tone will start after aki joins team 7, since i want all the serious, important stuff to have that serious vibe. till then, its pretty much just gonna be serious town and exposition, cuz i dont want yall confused on how these relationships start, or why konoha (in the middle of a world war) to be so trusting to a random person. especially since Naruto doesnt exist yet in the timeline, so no one knows about his Talk-No-Jutsu and natual charisma
> 
> (yes, there will be prank wars. Now with Kushina!)
> 
> anyway, im gonna go back to writing next chapter. i have no idea what kind of schedule this thing will take yet, as most chapters need to be scrapped and reworked right now, and if i posted whenever i was done, then yall'd get four chapters in a day, then nothing for, like, a month. so....
> 
> but, thank you for giving this thing a chance! it really means a lot to me, and all of your support really helps me stay motivated on these ^^
> 
> as always, i hope yall have a good day/night, and to see you next chapter ^w^


	2. IMPORTANT + SNEAK PEEKS

First of all, thank you all **_so so so_** **much** for staying with this story. For showing your support, and for being so enthusiastic. Seeing all of you enjoy this work really warms my heart, and it inspires me every day.

But I **_cannot stay on AO3._**

Some of you may know this- some may not. But AO3 has stated that sexual fics around minor RPFs- **_real person fiction-_** **doesn't **go against community guidelines.

To simplify- **_fics depicting sexual acts, sexual assault, assault, and pedophilia about real minors on the internet are allowed on AO3._** There is no excuse for this- it's not okay.

Hell, I don't think it's okay to write about _real people in general_ , such as but not limited to YouTubers, voice actors, actors, and authors at all. But the fact that this is happening to _minors_ is disgusting. It's unforgivable, and until AO3 changes their guidelines over this, I'm afraid I cannot continue to use this website in good conscience. 

Am I abandoning this site? **_Yes._**

Am I abandoning this _fic? **No.**_

There are other sites to write on- such as Wattpad, ff.net, QUOTEV, and TONFA (for Naruto fanfics, specifically). I will be transferring all of my works to ff.net for the moment, give it a try as it's the only other one I feel comfortable using besides Wattpad at the moment. I _will_ be publishing my fics on Wattpad as well, as I use it to store my drafts, and in case some of you are more comfortable using that instead of ff.net. 

**_Transferring will most likely start in early March, 2021._** That gives me some time to edit my works before posting them again, include _more_ of what I skipped over when I first started writing this story in 2018. (Yes, it's an old WIP of mine.) And for the absolutely _amazing_ people working behind the scenes to wrap up their amazing works (which i'll talk more about in the notes)

Once the works are published, I'll include the links to them in the notes, if you wish to check them out or continue with the story. 

_Will I ever come back to writing on AO3?_ **Maybe. It depends entirely on how they handle RPFs and pedophilia in the future.**

But, until that time does or does not come, **I will be putting this work up for adoption after posting what I have on other sites.**

I do not want to strip away a source of entertainment or serotonin from the people on this site, because I know that sometimes it's just _one thing_ that helps you through the day. _One thing_ that keeps you going, that brightens up your day. And I know that, sometimes, all we have is that one thing. So **I'll keep these posted. They won't be updated on this site anymore, but I won't take them down.**

All I ask is that, when it's elsewhere, you interact with the fic on other sites instead of this one. I'll continue reading the comments, continue keeping track of how it's doing, but I won't be responding unless it's a question relating to this issue, or a discussion. 

Now I think that's everything right now, so I'm going to add some sneak peeks into what's coming. Both as a way to show you that I haven't abandoned this yet, and to get you hyped for what's coming. _**The rest of this chapter's going to be spoilers, so if you don't want that, skip to the end.**_

I hope you enjoy.

.

.

.

**_Hey, kit._ **

Akira instantly brightened, relieved to finally hear from his dear friend. _Kurama! You're awake earlier than expected._

 ** _So I am. My chakra replenished faster than expected, is all_. **Kurama was silent for a moment, doing whatever he did. **_We're farther than we hoped. You're younger?_**

 _And more like an Uzumaki,_ Akira nodded, lifting a hand to clench and unclench it a few times. _I got here just as the cave collapsed. But from what he said before... before, he only truly started joining **him** after Rin died. And according to Kakashi-sensei, Rin only committed suicide because of a faulty seal keeping Isobu in her. So everything should end up ok as long as I fix that seal... right?_

A snort sounded from their mindscape. **_Don't ask me, kit. I'm just here for the snarky commentary and to tell you when you're a moron. _**

_Yeah, that's what I thought,_ Akira grumbled, sighing. _It might be better to leave Obito there for a while since I don't think anyone but Sakura could heal him after that boulder. Maybe Granny, but even she has limits, and I doubt we could get him there in time to save that half of him. Or the rest of him._

_**Kit. Better get really prepared for a lot real quick.** _

_Huh? What's up?_

_**Your father.** _

_._

_._

.

The man was maybe a bit younger than the Minato Namikaze Akira got to know. So he focused on those changes- the lack of stress lines, the brighter shade of blond (untainted by the heavy dust and ash of the battleground), the darker skin betraying the blood flowing just under the surface. 

It was... _difficult,_ but Akira managed to start thinking of the man as a long-lost uncle. His father's twin. Though it seemed he wasn't fast enough to hide his immense grief, if the confused and wary looks sent at him said anything. So Akira rubbed the back of his neck and smiled. "Sorry. I heard the stories, but... you look almost exactly like my late father."


End file.
